eyans



(No Model.)

0. IE. EVANS. TROLLEY WIRE SUPPORT.

No. 474,375. Patented May 10, 1892.

mvEA/mR Owen 7' 25 6010" WITNESSES $4M ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

OWEN F. EVANS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO HANNAH J.BIDDLECOME, OE SAME PLACE.

TROLLEY-WIRE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,375, dated May 10,1892.

Application filed lanuary 24, 1891. Serial No. 378,971. (No model.)

To all wlwm it nmyconcern;

Be it known that I, OWEN F. EVANS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Wire Supportsfor Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley or track wire supports for electricrailways; and its objects are to provide a superior support of thisclass the arrangement of which will admit of the employment of acomparatively small number of poles placed at comparatively longdistances apart, thus doing away to a great extent with a well-knownobjectionable feature in electric railways.

A further object of my invention consists in employing the electricconducting-wire as a support for the trolley-wire, and thus arrange saidwires in a neat and compact manner.

These objects I accomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a viewin perspective of anelectric-railway line showing my improved wiresupport. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation showing the upper portion of two poles and my improvedwire-support, an d Fig. 3 is a transverse view at right angles with thatshown in Fig. 2.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

or represents the poles, which,as shown, are of the ordinary telegraphpole form, and which for convenience of use with my improvements aresomewhat taller than the poles ordinarily used. Between the upper endportion of each pair of poles is stretched a transverse wire or cableI), which may be insulated from the poles at the points of connectiontherewith or by insulation in the cross-wires, as shown at c. To thecenters of these cross-wires Z) is secured an electric conducting andsupporting wire d, which, as shown, is allowed to sag slightly betweenits points of suspension 61 to form between each of said points atruss-wire. The suspension or truss wire d is preferably broken at itslow points between the cross-wires, and the ends thereof connected byany desirable form of turnbuckle f.

g represents the trolley or track wire, against which the trolley i ofthe car runs in the usual manner. This trolley-wire is suspendedhorizontally from the Wire d by short vertical suspension hanger-wiresg, which de pend from the upper wire d at intervals, and whichareofsuchvarying lengths as to support the trolley-wire in the desiredhorizontal position. The upper wire d is also utilized as an electricsupply-wire, the current being supplied to the trolley-wire through thehangers 9. By this arrangement it will be seen that the use of doublelines of wires ordinarily occasioned by the employment of a supplywireat one side of the roadway is obviated.

It is well known that a sagging suspensionwire suspended between twopoints is capable of supporting a comparatively great weight, and bythus supporting the trolley-wire it will be seen that I am enabled tonot only suspend the trolley or track wire in the desired horizontalposition, but that this may be accomplished by making theattachingpoints of the suspension and supply Wire at long intervals. Itwill thus be seen that this mode of suspending the trolley-wire willresult in doing away with a large number of the polesordinarily employedin the construction of electric railways, and that this omission ofpoles will go far toward overcoming a well-known objection ofelectric-car lines in cities.

The sagging of the suspension-wire may be taken up or let out, asdesired, by turning the turnbuckle f and drawing the connecting ends ofthe wire inward or letting them out in the well-known manner.

It will be observed that the compact arrangement of the trolley andsupply wires and the comparatively small number of poles ar ranged longdistances apart cannot but greatly add to the appearance ofelectric-railway lines andlessen the obstruction of the street thereby.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a wiring for electric railways, the com- IOC bination,with thepolesarrangedin pairs, poleby conducting and supporting Wires g ofconnecting wires 1), and suspension-Wire (Z, varying lengths,substantially as and for the charged with electricity and connectingWires purpose specified.

b by sagging spans, each of said spans being OWEN F. EVANS. 5 providedWith an intervening turnbuckle, as In presence of described, of thehorizontal trolley-Wire sus- C. C. SHEPHERD,

pended from said suspension and supply Wire BARTON GRIFFITH.

